1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a grounding terminal unit.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H10-208815 discloses a grounding terminal unit configured by combining two grounding terminal fittings. Each of the two grounding terminal fittings constituting the grounding terminal unit is formed by applying bending and the like to a metal plate member having a predetermined shape. More particularly, each grounding terminal fitting includes a conductive path connecting portion to which a grounding conductive path, such as a wire, is connected and a substantially plate-like grounding connecting portion. The grounding connecting portion is formed with a through hole penetrating in its plate thickness direction and a locking portion. The two grounding terminal fittings are assembled with the grounding connecting portions placed one over the other in the plate thickness direction and held in an assembled state by the locking action of the locking portions. The through holes of the two grounding connecting portions are arranged concentrically in this state. Thus, the grounding terminal unit can be connected to a grounding part if a bolt is inserted into the through holes and screwed and tightened into the grounding part.
The grounding terminal unit that can be held in the assembled state by placing the two grounding connecting portions one over the other in the plate thickness direction in this way is handled easily when being carried into a site of a connecting operation to the grounding part as compared to the case where two grounding terminal fittings cannot be held in the assembled state. Further, with the grounding terminal unit bolted, the two grounding connecting portions placed one over the other are sandwiched between a seating surface of the bolt and the grounding part. Thus, if the number of the grounding terminal fittings to be assembled is limited to two, a thickness of the two grounding connecting portions placed one over the other is fixed and a length of the bolt used also is fixed. Therefore, there is an advantage that only one type of bolt is required.
However, it is structurally impossible for the above grounding terminal unit to place three or more grounding terminal fittings one above another in the plate thickness direction with the length of the bolt kept constant. Thus, it is difficult to drastically increase the number of grounding conductive paths of the grounding terminal unit as a whole and to increase the number of types of grounding conductive paths connectable to the grounding terminal unit under a condition that only one type of bolt is used.
The present invention was completed based on the above situation and aims to increase the number of connectable grounding conductive paths and the number of types thereof without increasing the number of types of fastening members used in a grounding terminal unit to be connected to a grounding part by screwing a fastening member.